Soteriological question

Which of these statements is correct:

“No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him” (John 6:44).

Or,

“Belief in Christian truth is not dependent on a personal experience of opening, but can be transmitted through argument” (Alan Roebuck, as paraphrased by me).

Or both?

See Mr. Roebuck’s reply to Mercedes.

- end of initial entry -

April 8

Jeff W. writes:

The Bible describes a two-stage process of salvation. First there is hearing of the word. Then if a person is “good soil” or “hears the Master’s voice” or “is drawn to the Father,” then he or she responds with faith.

It is the faith response that saves. Faith is hard to define and it can also be described as “trusting in,” or “relying upon,” or “clinging to.”

So the act of transmitting the word to the hearer through a convincing, well-delivered argument is one essential element of bringing salvation, and the hearer’s reaction, which is to put his faith in Jesus Christ, is another essential element.

Posted by Lawrence Auster at April 07, 2010 11:47 PM | Send